After spending three years eating Brazilian BBQ, we were really looking forward to doing it the American way! While their way is very tasty, our way is much quicker and more familiar. When Brazilians get together for their weekly BBQ, it can be an all-day event. It generally takes at least two hours to cook the meat over the fire. Meanwhile, the guests just enjoy each other and relax. It took me a while to get used to their way of eating. By the time the food was finally ready, my stomach had eaten itself and was well on its way to eating other parts of my insides! I got to the point where I'd eat before going to a churrasco, just so I could enjoy the people and not focus on the meat that wasn't ready! Now that we have Brazilian friends here in the U.S., we want to show them how we do BBQ here. It's not necessarily that I think our way is better. . . it's just different and it's familiar and easy for us.
Even though this was an American event, we felt our guests would be more comfortable if maybe a soccer ball was around. Sure enough, the little boys found the ball right away and enjoyed kicking it around a bit. Below is Mateus, the newest arrival in the QCA. Kevin worked a few times with Mateus's dad, Daniel, when we were in Brazil. They didn't live in Horizontina, so I had never met Daniel nor his wife and son. Now Virginia is my third ESL student and I get to see her twice a week.
Here are the little ones, eating hot dogs and chips. Hot dogs are nothing new for the kids, so they enjoyed having something familiar. Next to Emma is Valentina, then Clara, Mateus, and Lucas. Incredibly, the Brazilian kids speak amazing English. Clara has been in the U.S. for about 18 months. She speaks perfectly and without an accent. If you didn't know her, you'd think she was American!
Just before we ate, Kevin had to jokingly explain how we do things here. It's very common in Brazil to see the natives eating their food with a napkin or toothpick. For example, if someone is eating a sandwich, the bottom half would be wrapped in a napkin so the food wouldn't touch the hands. Pizza is eaten with a fork and knife and French fries are eaten by using a toothpick or fork. The guys are laughing because Kevin said when in America, they must eat like the Americans! Hamburgers are to be eaten with the hands!! The guys didn't seem to have a problem with this, but I did see at least one of the women eating her hamburger half-wrapped in a napkin. She's only been here for a month, though, so maybe that was just too foreign for her:)
Everton and Queli are on the left and Daniel and Virginia are on the right. Leandro and Monica are the third couple here that evening.
Adri just kind of kept to herself that evening. She loves hearing the Brazilians talk and I hope she picks up the language as she grows up. I imagine her returning to her place of birth one day and I look forward to telling her stories of her special country.
The guys, from left, Kevin, Leandro, Everton, and Daniel
Virginia left before we could get a ladies' picture. Monica and Queli are two of my ESL students. I have loved my time with them. Recently I found out that Monica and her husband are returning to Brazil earlier than expected. They were hoping to be here for 3-5 years but they will now leave in July, less than two years after arriving. They are incredibly sad about moving, but they are hoping to return here again one day! I will look forward to that day!
Emma and Clara, just a few weeks before they both turn 6!!
Valentina, Emma, Clara and Lucas - American/Brazilian amigos
After we ate, we took the Brazilians to the fire pit and introduced them to the very-American dessert of S'Mores! We had so much fun roasting marshmallows with them and sharing a part of our culture! S'Mores are just about as American as you can get! I realized I'm not as big of a fan of them as I was when I was a kid, but the experience is still great. Leandro and Monica, who are leaving in July, said they feel like they can return to Brazil now that they've eaten S'Mores. They've heard about the summer dessert so many times and now they feel like they understand a little more about our culture. I loved getting to share that with them.
It was such a fun evening for me. We spoke almost entirely in Portuguese because the levels of English vary amongst the Brazilians. I'm finding that I understand most things still, but speaking isn't as easy as it was a year ago. The more I'm around my new friends, though, the easier it is to remember words. The kids were a different story. Emma won't get any help with her Portuguese because the kids only want to speak English. It's just amazing to me!
I'm really looking forward to more time with these special people. I feel like God has given me a great desire to help them acclimate to our culture and enjoy their time here as much as they can. I can empathize with their challenges and I want so badly to encourage them on this great journey they're on! In the process, I'm finding that I'm getting to stay connected with the culture I grew to love!
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